After years of fighting to pay less into the Meadowlands inter-municipal tax-sharing program, Secaucus may see a significant reduction from paying $3 million to $723,504.

Members of the Hackensack Meadowlands Municipal Committee (HMMC) on Tuesday narrowly voted (7 to 3 plus three abstentions) to change the tax sharing formula’s base year from 1970 to 2004 – a change which Mayor Michael Gonnelli helped herald after major campaigning on the issue throughout the year. The amendment needs to be approved by the State Legislature and the Governor for it to take effect.

Through the state’s tax sharing program, started in the early 1970s, the towns in the Meadowlands region that are allowed to develop must pay into a tax pool so that other towns that can’t develop for environmental reasons can offset the loss of tax ratables. There are 14 towns in the Meadowlands district. In 2004, the master plan for the Meadowlands changed and areas that were once slated for development became parks while other areas that were restricted from development became available.

Gonnelli is hopeful that the change will take effect next year if Governor Chris Christie gets behind the measure. He said during an interview that Commissioner Richard Constable had promised the Governor would support the change in the tax-sharing base year if such an amendment was approved by the mayors’ committee. He noted that the abstentions will be counted toward the votes in favor.

Fundraising event scheduled for Hudson County victims of Hurricane Sandy

“Hudson County Recovers,” a non-profit organization formed to help Hudson County victims of Hurricane Sandy, will hold a fundraising event Dec. 20. The event will be held at La Reggia restaurant, 40 Wood Avenue, in Secaucus from 6 to 9 p.m. All proceeds will be used to benefit local non-profit organizations involved in helping Hudson County recover from the effects of the hurricane and flooding, and all donations are fully tax deductible.

“Hudson County Recovers” was started by Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason, who is also the president of the Mason Civic League, a charitable organization based in Hoboken. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, please call Cassandra Alessio at (201) 457-9000.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) announced last week that the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) and its university partners have received a $90,000 National Science Foundation Grant to replace field monitoring stations in the Meadowlands District destroyed by Hurricane Sandy so that scientists can study the storm’s effect on methane and carbon emissions in the region’s wetlands. MERI is the scientific and technological arm of the NJMC.

The new monitoring equipment is expected to be in place by spring and will measure the amount of harmful methane and carbon emissions from coastal wetlands that can impact the region’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. The results will provide a unique baseline to compare the release rates of these greenhouse gases during large storm events and for years to come.

The new equipment will also allow the resumption of a carbon sequestration study that could help scientists establish methods to combat greenhouse gas emissions. For the past four years the NJMC and Rutgers University have been measuring the capability of urban, tidal wetlands to capture and contain carbon.

Memory People convention to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s

Memory People, a Facebook Alzheimer’s support group, is holding an international convention on Dec. 8 at The Hampton Inn in Secaucus beginning at 5 p.m. Member Harrry Urban who has Alzheimer's disease will give the introduction at 6 p.m. to kickoff the event followed by a keynote address by Founder Rick Phelps. Phelps is the coauthor of “While I Still Can,” a unique book written through the eyes of a patient.

Attendees will have a rare opportunity to hear what it is like for a patient to live every day with Alzheimer's. Sam, Phelps’ dementia service dog, will also be in attendance. A candle light ceremony will also be held to remember and share with all of those individuals who walk this journey together.

For more information, contact Leeanne Chames at: (253) 212-7525 or e-mail leeannechames@gmail.com. The groups Facebook page can be found at www.Facebook.com/Memory

Library’s Tuesday movies moved to 101 Centre Ave.

Since the Secaucus Public Library Panasonic Room is being used by FEMA, the two movies originally scheduled to be shown at the library on Dec. 11 and 18 at 1 p.m. have been moved to the Senior Center, which is located at 101 Centre Ave.

“As of this time, there are no set plans for additional movies, but we will schedule them as soon as we get more information from FEMA regarding their use of the Panasonic Room. I will keep the residents updated as soon as we know more,” said the Library Director Jenifer May.

The Dec. 11 movie is “Deck the Halls” and the Dec. 18 movie is “A Christmas Carol.”

Library closed 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12

The Secaucus Public Library will be closed from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Dec. 12 for staff training on the new Polaris computer system that will go live on that date.

The system links the 75 member libraries in the Bergen County Cooperative Library System. Two days prior to the system going live, Dec. 10 and 11, patrons will only be able to checkout two items. Patrons can visit the library’s website, Secaucus.bccls.org, for further